Student Recruitment and Selection for Teacher Education

University of Helsinki

Adjunct ProfessorJari Salminen

30.9.2009

FACULTY OF BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF

APPLIED SCIENCES OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF HOME

ECONOMICS AND CRAFT

SCIENCE

Viikki Teacher training school

comprehensive school-lower level-upper level

upper secondary school

DEPARTMENT OF

PSYCHOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF

SPEECH SCIENCES

Research centresHelsingin normaalilyseoTeacher training school

comprehensive school-upper level

upper secondary school

The sections of the Department

Class Teacher Education

Subject Teacher Education

Special Education

Kindergarten Teacher and

Early Childhood Education

Finnish School System

Teacher education and research for all educational levels

The Department was established in 1974 within the Faculty of Philosophy

Master level started September 1979

The Department of Applied Sciences of Education is one of the five Departments of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences and it is one of the largest departments of the University of Helsinki

The Department in numbers • New degree students for Classroom Teacher Programm: 120

The research-based approach is the central guiding theme of teacher education in Helsinki

The research-based approach is integrated into every course and courses in research methods are introduced from the very beginning of the studies

Another central aim of the teacher education in Helsinki is to achieve a balanced development of the teacher's personality in which the teacher’s thinking is essential

Research-based teaching at the heart of teacher education

Class teacher education

Class teachers complete a Master of Education degree (5 years, 300 study points/ECTS)

The main subject is education or educational psychology

The class teachers must complete a multidisciplinary minor subject module that consists of subjects and cross-curricular issues taught in comprehensive school

Studies in a minor subject, comprising at least 60 study points, gives the class teacher the qualification to teach the subject also in the upper level of comprehensive school

Research Teachers and researchers as well as postgraduate and undergraduate

students take part in research, experimental activities, as well as developmental work conducted at the Department

Research-based teaching has been developed for a long time at the Department. In addition to the own Department’s teaching, the research has also focused on subject departments’ teaching as well as cross-faculty teaching

The main objective guiding the work is the aim for multidisciplinarity and interaction between different disciplines and subjects

The research centres of the Department co-operate closely with researchers from other departments of the University of Helsinki as well as other national and international universities and research centres

Applicants for Classroom Teacher Programm 2004-2009

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

627 694 570 1376 1254 1432

Very popular study programm 2009 (120 students)

Applications together 1432

First selection 1005

Second selection 387

Accepted 120

Student selection so far…

1974-1997 Classroom teaching test (10 minutes) + interview + extra points (music skills, drawing skills)

1997-2008 Group work + interview

2009- Text-based presentation + interview

Student Selection 2009First Selection

First selection

- national co-operation between several Universities (Educational faculties and departments)- VAKAVA: http://www.helsinki.fi/behav/vakava/index.htm- One book (8 articles, 200 pages) is published on-line and as a book- Multiple Choice Test- Statistics 2008

Student Selection 2009Second Selection

Second Selection

- Applicant must choose one text from three alternatives (short newspaper articles about education, schoolwork etc.)

- Applicant has 30 minutes to prepare short presentation (ca. 5 minutes) for evaluation board (3 members)

- Evaluation board gives points for the summary (maximum 3 x 5 = 15 points)

- Evaluation board evaluates also motivation, suitability and communication skills (maximum 3 x 3 x 5 = 45) - Maximum points 60

High status of teachers

% Most interesting jobs among

upper secondary students 2004

26 Teacher

19 Diplom-Ingenieur

18 Psychologist, Arts

17 Researcher

16 Information jobs

15 Architekt, Police, Journalist

(Helsingin Sanomat 2004)